Now’s the Time for a Career in Cyber Security

October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month in the United States, which is a yearly campaign devoted to creating awareness about the significance of cyber security. With cyber security jobs in the limelight, you might be wondering what it’s all about, and how it might take you to the next level in your career.

The need for more cyber security experts is high due to data breaches and hacking. With the recent attack on tech giant Facebook, more and more companies are recognising the need to shield themselves. There has never been a better time to pursue a career in this lucrative field.

An article in Forbes magazine noted that there were over one million cyber security job opportunities in 2016, some with eye-watering salaries. For example, recently published salaries for chief information security officer (CISO) shows an average of $204,000. Forbes cited Veronica Mollica, founder and executive information security recruiter at US-based Indigo Partners saying: “The cybersecurity job market is on fire.”

This is a reflection of the rising importance of cyber security and its place in ensuring business resilience. After some high-profile breaches over the past 18 months, there have been major business and reputational effects for those under attack. The breaches have shown how vulnerable companies can be to cyber-attacks and attracted growing interest and attention at board level. As a result, there is a zeal to invest in doing the right thing and choosing the right people. No one wants to be the next company in the headlines for the wrong reasons.

As cyber risk has a possibly high impact on a business, it needs a well-defined role with responsibility for handling that risk. This is a perfect opportunity for someone capable of responding to growing needs and maintaining protection against a continuously increasing threat to develop a great and successful career. Having said that, there are many companies still grappling to identify the skills they need to respond to the nearly new phenomenon of cyber resilience. While knowing that having certain levels of technical ability is a first guide to the suitability of a candidate, in reality, there is a great deal more to controlling the risk.

For the successful applicants, adaptability means they can bridge the gap within an organisation between IT security, IT operations, and the business. While there is a level of technical knowledge needed, the stand-out cyber security expert is the one who also knows the human element to cyber flexibility and maintaining data security and has the ability to use this to achieve overall business goals and objectives.

Having the skills to explain to a non-technical audience, at all levels of an organisation, the strategies needed to handle real-world risks is a highly desirable skill. Communication skills mean being able to demonstrate that cyber resilience is much more than just a technical issue and that everyone has a role to play in the development and delivery of solutions. It is vital to be able to convey that there is no silver bullet in cyber security. However, it’s possible to respond to and recover from a cyber-attack and the key is both resilience and ongoing awareness.

For the right person, with the right combination of skills and experience, the challenges related to cyber security can be a highly rewarding personal and professional career choice.